State Liberals declare Labor's federal defeat a slap in the face for Labor's state Greens deal

Updated
Mon 9 Sep 2013, 9:21 AM AEST

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Opposition Leader Will Hodgman to start the state election campaign today

Alex Blucher

Tasmanian Liberal leader Will Hodgman has seized on results from the federal election, claiming Labor's defeat is a mandate against the state Labor-Greens government.

There was a 9 per cent swing against Federal Labor and an 8 per cent swing away from the Greens in yesterday's Tasmanian poll results.

Will Hodgman says that should send a message to the State Government.

"I don't have election envy, but I realise there's a lot of months between now and the state campaign and I'll start campaigning... now that the federal election is done and dusted, and explain to Tasmanians that we've got to finish the job, that a Labor-Greens minority experiment is not a good thing."

Liberal Andrew Nikolic hopes the party's success last night will extend to the state election next year.

He says to get the full benefit of a Federal Liberal Government, Tasmania also needs a Liberal State Government.

"I always considered this evening only half of the equation," he said.

"To rejuvenate Tasmania's economy to deliver on the aspirations of our people, we also need a change of government in Hobart.

"I hope that Will Hodgman, Michael Ferguson and Peter Gutwein up here in Bass and the rest of the Liberal people up here in Bass and the rest of the Liberal team in the state will deliver that next March."

She says it is not surprising that the swing against Labor was bigger in Tasmania than elsewhere given the unemployment rate.

Ms Giddings has pledged to work with the Liberal Federal Government despite holding concerns that it will not be good for Tasmania.

Federal election results

There has been a Federal Labor wipe out in Tasmania with the 9 per cent statewide swing against the ALP.

It is the biggest swing in the nation, double the national average.

As a result, Labor has lost 3 of its 4 seats.

Bass and Braddon fell swiftly to the Liberals.

In the rural seat of Lyons, a massive 12 per cent swing against Labor stalwart Dick Adams will see Liberal Eric Hutchinson take control of Tasmania's biggest electorate.

Denison Independent Andrew Wilkie has been returned for a second a term, increasing his primary vote.

Former Cabinet Minister Julie Collins is the only Labor MP in the state to hold her seat of Franklin.

There has also been a swing away from Labor in the Upper House, where a Palmer United Party candidate could take the final Tasmanian seat.

Labor loser blames power sharing

Labor's Geoff Lyons lost his northern Tasmanian seat of Bass and says the unpopular state Labor-Greens alliance clearly affected the results.

"I think it's been a difficult time in the economy and it's also been a difficult time having to be in partnership with other parties.

"That's made it very difficult to govern," he said.

But the ALP's Tasmanian secretary John Dowling says he is not convinced the state Labor-Greens alliance has influenced the federal results.

He says the Labor seat of Hindmarsh in Adelaide was lost by a popular MP Steve Georganas, despite no minority government in that state.

"It's easy to point the bone at a Labor Green alliance and the Liberals campaigned very strongly on that," he said.

"That alliance doesn't exist in SA, but Georganas is likely to lose his seat there."

Tasmania's State Greens leader, Nick McKim, has remained defiant in the face of Liberal accusations the voter base has walked away from the party.

"Tasmanian voters, I think, are smart enough to tell the difference between commonwealth issues and state issues and generally they will vote according to the issues that are relevant to the election they are voting in," he said.

"There's a lot of water to go under the bridge before the next State election.

"I believe the next state election will be fought on state issues and we'll be campaigning on our record."

Greens vote collapse

The Greens have conceded their Tasmanian vote was lower than expected.

There has been an 8.5 per cent drop in support for the party across the state.

In Denison, which is considered the Greenest seat in the state, the Greens candidate Anna Reynolds won just 8 per cent of the primary vote.

In the 2010 election, the Greens candidate for Denison won 18 per cent of the first vote count.

"The fact that he's had the balance of power, that there's been almost no local opposition, there's been no critical local media, he's certainly presented everything that's happened in Denison as a result of his work, that's very much helped him," she said.

Appeal for the state's north

The ousted Labor member for Braddon Sid Sidebottom has called on Coalition to throw a life line to ailing vegetable processor Simplot.

The Liberal candidate Brett Whiteley has taken Braddon with a swing of more than 10 per cent against Labor.

Mr Sidebottom says Labor's projects for the region should still proceed, including helping Simplot.

"We worked very hard with the company, we worked very hard with the farmers, we worked very hard with 12 or 13 enterprises up here to maintain jobs and grow them and up skill to make sure we're globally competitive," he said.

"So I ask again that they look at every one of our projects, see the merit in them and support them into the future."